She's Gone
by ScarlettB
Summary: This is an alternate ending to Catching Fire. I wrote it for a school project, it's from Peeta's POV. As of now it is a one shot, but it might not stay that way. Please R&R!  rating just in case


**Peeta's POV**

I fall down almost before the first blast. Everything goes berserk, trees explode into flames, the ground erupts, and since I'm not very stable on this new leg anyway; I'm thrown back. When I hit, I hear a sickening crack, and I know something is damaged. I try to regain my feet, but I find I'm paralyzed.

I want to close my eyes, to slide silently away, but I can't do anything except watch the sky, filled with fireworks.

My heart sinks when a hovercraft slides into view. Katniss floats into my mind and fills it till my mind is smiling. I know she doesn't actually want to marry me, but I do know she loves me. _Slam! _Gale crashes into my mind and drags Katniss away from me. I want to scream every foul name I know at him, but I know she chose him, not me. She does love me, but she loves him more.

The claw from the hovercraft lifts me from the ground and I slide up into the hovercraft. I know what I'll find; a firing squad, if I'm lucky. I realize that's not what I want though, Katniss won't be that lucky. She will be tortured and then murdered on live television. I feel tears in my eyes, and I don't care. They begin to spill down my cheeks, as I go up into the hovercraft.

I'm only momentarily surprised when I see Plutarch Heavensbee, head gamemaker, I realize President Snow will be there to greet Katniss. More tears come and I feel a stab in my arm and the world goes dark.

I'm left to float in a dream-like state, where Katniss and I are sitting just like we were on the roof of the training center; her head in my lap, she plays with grass, and I play with her beautiful hair. Only we aren't on the training center roof, we're in a meadow with soft grass and bushes with little red berries.

I concentrate on this fantasy until I feel consciousness surfacing again and I peel open my groggy eyes. I look straight into a light and snap my eyes shut again; I look again, but carefully avert the light. I'm in some kind of hospital prison cell, I can hear breathing around me. I try to lift my head but it feels loaded down with bricks.

What are they doing to her now? Torturing her? Killing her? Cutting her tongue, so she's an Avox? Will they hurt our families? My brothers and parents? All these questions and more swim into my head in the 2 minutes I'm awake.

Something cool flows into my arm and I black out again.

When I resurface again, there are more tubes in my arm. "Katniss?" I call as I sit up. I scan the beds in use. I find out only one other bed is in use; Beetee lies in the bed across from me. I can tell he would be dead if not for the huddle of machines surrounding his bed.

I feel my expression flood with sadness, but that's soon replaced by anger. The type of anger that makes you want to do things you know you'll regret. I want to wake him and maybe try to reason with our captors. One of his machines beeps as if I've done something wrong just by thinking about this. Of course it's silly to think I could ever win back my life.

I was condemned on Reaping Day last year, when Katniss stood by me, and we were adversaries. My anger is renewed as I think about how long the capitol led us on; letting us think we might have a shot at the rest of our lives.

I rip the tubes out of my arm and somehow am brought back under. This time I dream about Katniss showing me to shoot, at one point she says I'm doing well, and I shoot at a target.

I pull back the string and let the arrow fly. I smell his bloody perfume before I even see him. President Snow is behind me and has slit Katniss' throat. I scream, but before I run, I let one more arrow fly…

I wake very suddenly, and let more tears flow from my puffy eyes. The tubes are gone now, but something else is gone as well.

It takes me a moment to remember who was in here with me, but when it does come to me I can't help but think of Beetee screaming on a table somewhere. I lay back hard on the bed; I feel the tug of a chain around my neck, and snag the golden locket from inside my paper nightgown.

I pull it out; it was my token in the arena. Of course it has no sentimental value at all to me of course. I took it in with me as a weapon, against Katniss. I knew she never planned to live through these games; her only intention was to send me home. I take a moment to examine the mockingjay. I remember the trends in the capitol centered on the pin Katniss wore in our first games. I slide me thumb around the edge and the disk pops open. Inside are the pictures I showed her in the arena.

There were pictures of her mother and Prim, and one of Gale actually smiling. I remember the trouble it was to get that picture.

I decide I've been here long enough; Katniss has to be somewhere in this prison. I drag myself off the bed and locate the door. When I begin to walk the world teeters around a bit before becoming clear. I make it to the door, and am surprised to find it's unlocked.

I turn the silver knob, and do my best to stay quiet in the hallway. The cool tile feels good on the foot I can still feel with. I know I'm not being quiet and anybody within 50feet can hear me, but nobody has shown up to arrest me, or shoot me in the back with a dart gun, so maybe I'm doing better than I thought.

I turn a corner and hear talking in a room, I snug up to the wall, but the voices go silent and someone gets up. I ready my self and draw back my fist.

"Peeta?" says a cautious Haymitch as he comes through the doorway with his hands up. My arm drops and I guess my lower jaw does as well, because Haymitch gives me a look of sympathy and waves me inside.

I kind of stumble inside and see a table with two more people sitting around it. Plutarch Heavensbee and Finnick Odair are looking me in the eyes, not sure how I will react. I just give them a questioning look.

"Sit down, Peeta." Plutarch instructs. I take a seat on the opposite side of the table from the man that tortured us in the arena.

"Where's Katniss?" I ask very bluntly, because I really don't care about anything or anyone else. I notice they all avert my gaze. I become worried, but I don't think they would torture her on a hovercraft, as I am now realizing we're on one. "Where Is Katniss!" I'm trembling now and my anger is welling up again.

A plate of food is brought to me, but I shove it forward. "Haymitch! Where is she?" I almost yell at him, but my voice cracks and they all know I'm scared. Haymitch begins to explain everything that happened when the force field exploded.

He told me there had been a plan to break the victors out of the arena and launch the rebellion since the moment the card was read. Beetee's plan was to thread his wire through the break in the force field surrounding the arena and cause enough chaos for the rebels to intervene. The Capitol of course sent in hovercrafts to retrieve us, but the rebel forces of district 13 sent a few hovercrafts in to rescue us as well. Of course they knew Katniss and I would be their first targets. The rebels rescued me, but the Capitol captured her before the rebels could make it to her.

My tray of food hits Haymitch in the face before he can take another breath. I'm shaking even harder now and my hands tighten into fists.

"I guess I deserved that." He says but he's still annoyed.

"You knew I wanted her to live! You knew!" I'm on my feet now, and yelling at all three of them.

"We wanted to go back Peeta. I had to leave Annie in District 4." Finnick speaks up in a pleading voice.

"Well then let's go to the capitol!" I yell, I know as soon as I say it I'm being ridicules. I turn away from them and go over to the windows. I bang my head and look out for a while, eventually I feel a familiar hand, and turn into Finnick's pained stare.

"Peeta, I think you should lie down." I know he's right, but I don't want to surrender to these people; they had me convinced they were on my side. When, it turns out, they have made me a piece of their games. At least in the Hunger Games I knew I was being played with. I nod and go back to my room.

Over the next few hours, people come to talk with me, I exchange a few words a smile, but that is all interrupted when he walks in, she's holding his arm and looks afraid.

"Gale?" I ask from my place on the bed. He looks pretty banged up and his arms in a sling. "What happened?"

"Gale, tell him." Madge croaks out, her throat sounds very sore, she looks at him, her voice cracks; something's wrong.

"Peeta, something's happened. When Katniss shot that arrow, planes flew over

District 12," My chest is tight, and the rest of the world seems unimportant, he continues, "They dropped fire bombs. I got some people from the seam out, but I couldn't make it to town. Your family, I'm really sorry." I know he can't possibly be sorry for the man who's engaged to the love of his life, but it gives me a newfound respect for Gale.

I've never thought badly of Gale, in fact I was a bit jealous, but I've never thought of him as forgiving or friendly or generous because he isn't those things; but at least he's capable of acting them.

A rueful half-smile crosses my face. Madge is crying, and Gale is giving me a sideways look.

"Thanks for telling me. Do you know-?"

"About Katniss? Yes. Look Peeta, I think you should know something…" I just hold my hand up, and he nods. I already know she never intended to marry me. Even before the quell was announced; she never wanted a family.

**6 months later**

I walk back from lunch with Gale. We have almost become friends in the months that have passed. We share one common thought; she's gone, or is she? The doctors have declared me stable enough to train for the military here in district 13.

Madge walks with us as well; they are engaged now. I can't help wondering if he's really in love with her though. We are silent; most walks with me are silent ones. I guess they're afraid of me or something, but I don't really want anyone close to me anymore, so it's ok with me.

The communicuff on Gale's wrist beeps and he scans a digital message. "We're all to report to Command immediately." I can tell by their pace that they're trying to wait for me but it must be hard since I'm so slow.

When we reach Command there is a large group surrounding a screen, they part a bit when they see me. I walk forward staring in disbelief at the screen.

Katniss sits looking stronger than ever by Caesar talking about the games. Claiming she didn't know what she was doing when she blew up the force field. I know she didn't but everything she's saying sounds too; rehearsed. This can't possibly be real, when Katniss talks she keeps a straight face, in this footage she is exaggerating her face so much I think she might be in pain. My hands ball into fists again because I know this isn't recent. Her hair is too short, damaged by the fog in the arena; it would have grown back by now.

This really aggravates me; the people in the districts will think she has given up, that their mockingjay has been shot down.

"We need to fix this!" I shout out to the whole command center. In the weeks that follow; we plan a full scale rebellion.

* * *

tell me what you think! Since this was a project; grade me! Also, i might continue this later, because i don't have the time now, but if you think i should; TELL ME!


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